District Administration - July 2007 - (Page 18)

BRIEFINGS CurriculumUpdate Cell Phones in North Carolina Classrooms THE FAVORITE COMMU nications device for K12 students is the cell phone, according to NetDay Speak Up, an annual, national research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow (www.tomorrow. org). A 2006 survey of 232,781 K12 students reports that 73 percent of them use a phone daily and 97 percent think that cell phones should be allowed in school for emergencies. Students in Mrs. Kliewer’s Southwest High School Tapping into this phenom- algebra class in Jacksonville, N.C., use Smartphones enon, North Carolina Public in class. Schools in September will begin supplementing math skills by giving 250 mon as a cell phone to help close the digital at-risk ninth-graders QUALCOMM divide,” says Frances Bradburn, director of Smartphones. Teachers in the 12 pilot instructional technology for North Caroschools will have access to an educational lina’s Department of Public Instruction. portal providing math problems for stu- Safeguards will be imposed to ensure that dents. The 2.4 Mbps devices will allow students only communicate with authostudents to check answers, download and rized users and adhere to acceptable use upload work at school and home, and use policies. Project K-Nect, part the Wireless video and blogging capabilities to discuss Reach initiative, is supported by $1 milmath strategies with teachers and class- lion in funding by QUALCOMM. www.dpi.state.nc.us mates. “Project K-Nect gives us a tremenwww.projectknect.org dous opportunity to use a device as com- By Ken Royal National Guard Inspires Students THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD oﬀers 30 topics in its YOU CAN school program as a public service, including free programs on drug awareness, violence prevention, diversity, communications, and conﬂict resolution. The positive and motivated presentations are relevant to current issues. Lesson plans are highly structured and focused, and YOU CAN continues to add new programs. Violence prevention, one of their new programs, helps students understand how violence aﬀects their lives, while giving them tools to prevent it. Suggestions for making wise decisions; lessons for listening, speaking and handling disputes; and healthy food and exercise choices make these programs valuable for the secondary age group. They introduce students to the life skills necessary for becoming valued community members and to accomplish great things. www.youcanschoolprogram.com The New School Assembly ASTRONAUT KEN REIGHTLER, WHO PILOTED DISCOVERY ON TWO SPACE shuttle missions—the ﬂight to support “Mission to Planet Earth” in 1991 and the ﬁrst United States/Russia joint crew in 1994—had a new mission for Space Week 2007. He hosted a Webinar sponsored by The Discovery Educator Network that brought students from 60 schools together for a live conference using a phone connection and the Internet for viewing photos and text chatting. Some schools used Skype, a free telephony software program, to hear the conference. Students asked questions about black holes, space food, rockets, and how astronauts shampoo or bathe in space with zero gravity. When asked his favorite part about being in space, Reightler said, “It was looking out the window watching the world below.” The Discovery Educator Network will hold several new Webinars in the fall. The archived Webinar has been posted at www.denblogs.com/SpaceWeekWebinar.mp3. www.discoveryeducatornetwork.com Ken Reightler 18 July 2007 Photo by Dusty Oliver District Administration http://www.tomorrow.org http://www.tomorrow.org http://www.youcanschoolprogram.com http://www.dpi.state.nc.us http://www.projectknect.org http://www.denblogs.com/SpaceWeekWebinar.mp3 http://www.discoveryeducatornetwork.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - July 2007

Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Facilities/Construction Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Cover Story: Rethinking School Bus Safety
Broadening Collective Bargaining
Searching for Subs
Jersey City’s Broad Appeal
Improving Nutrition in Schools
New Products
Computer Literature
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Research Corner
Problem Solution
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Supervisor’s Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - July 2007